Victoria’s 2013-14 Horse of the Year following Group 1 victories in the Melbourne Cup (3200m) and Australian Cup (2000m) plus Group 2 wins in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) and Peter Young Stakes (1800m).

Apart from those racing highlights last season, Fiorente (Ger) is a son of champion sire Monsun who is one of the world’s most successful sires with 17% stakes winners-to-runners strike-rate.

Fighting Sun is the highest rated 2YO colt by ill-fated sire Northern Meteor whose legacy includes Zoustar, Romantic Touch and Eurozone. He is out of Group 1 winning mare Irish Darling and is assured of tremendous support from EPI owner Sun International.

Gai Waterhouse flagged Fighting Sun as her Golden Slipper horse after a three length victory in the LR Canonbury Stakes but he was sidelined after suffering a suspensory injury.

POLANSKI (Rakti – Citrium by Citidancer)
Roycevale Stud
Fee: TBA

Polanski won the LR Super Impose Stakes (1800m) at Flemington and G3 Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield before a dream result in last year’s G1 Victoria Derby at Flemington.

Part-owner and trainer Robbie Laing brought the colt back for a G1 Australia Derby campaign but he broke down first-up in the G1 Futurity Stakes.

His sire Rakti – a Danzig line sire through Polish Precedent – was a five-time Group 1 winner in Italy and England and his dam Citrium was named Victorian Broodmare of the Year earlier this month.

Unusual Suspect is by champion sire Unusual Heat from NZ bred Riccarton winner Penpont who has also foaled G1 Santa Anita Las Virgenes Stakes winner Golden Doc. After arriving in Australia from Dubai, he won the LR Werribee Cup at his penultimate start before retiring to Moorookyle Park.

A $500,000 graduate from the 2012 Inglis Easter Sale, War was runner-up in the LR Breeders Plate at Randwick on debut and returned as a three year-old to win the G3 Up and Coming Stakes (1300m) at Warwick Farm.

War joined Snitzel, Fastnet Rock, Exceed and Excel, Testa Rossa and Marscay on the roll-call of Up and Coming Stakes winners and they all developed into top-class sires.

The Blue Gum newcomer is by Champion 2YO Sire More Than Ready whose sire sons include champion stallion Sebring and his second-dam is G1 Queensland Oaks winner Joie Denise.